Following its statutory July meeting, Youghal Town Council held a Standing Orders meeting to decide whether to retain Tuesday mornings for its monthly sittings or revert to Monday evenings. Meetings have been held at 10 am on Tuesdays since April, during the council executive’s work-to-rule protest at public sector pay conditions. Prior to the dispute’s settlement, the town clerk and staff only work daytime hours.

Two issues pre-occupied the thoughts of the eight councillors present. Firstly, though the move to Tuesdays had been chosen as a temporary measure, some members had found it suited them better. Others preferred Monday but all claimed either arrangement was acceptable.

Secondly, there was Cllr Donie Daly, Youghal’s first Labour councillor since 1986 and elected with 308 first preferences. The freelance financial consultant has missed all day meetings due to work commitments in Limerick. The councillor also opted for ten days pay in lieu of holidays/time off from work due to redundancy fears if his contract is not extended next month.

Cllr Daly has been unhappy about the switch to Tuesday morning and has publicly and repeatedly aired his grievance. Seldom hesitant to speak his mind, he has cast himself, rightly or wrongly, as a victim of intent by some councillors.

The councillor recently ruffled feathers considerably when he responded thus to remarks that some councillors take time off work to attend meetings: “As far as I know, we have 4 full time ‘public representatives’, 2 self employed, 1 retired teacher, 1 student and myself. I’m not working to supplement my benefits, or in addition to my pocket money. I can’t take time off from my part time job cutting grass or doing my paper round. This is a real job, with real responsibilities, in order to pay real mortgages and feed a real family.’

To say some of his council colleagues were miffed by his observations would be understating on the lines that the pope has a thing about religion! Cllr Daly says he has been “taken up wrongly.” but their shadow lay heavy as a blanket as the Standing Orders debate commenced.

Standing Orders

Mayor Mary Linehan Foley began by observing that while the decision to hold daytime meetings was enforced, it had suited several councillors, especially those with families at home, including herself. Acknowledging that, “one particular councillor is not suited by morning meetings” she proceeded that when she first ran for council, she knew that times could fluctuate. “In 1999 some meetings were held at 2pm,” she recalled. The mayor, a mother of five, said she had always managed to attend meetings and would continue to do so, regardless of their time, in accordance with the trust placed in her by the electorate. The same applied to voluntary committee meetings, she added. She concluded by saying any impression that the council was against one member, was “totally untrue” and had never been the case in her time as a councillor.

Cllr Michael Beecher, noting it was “an honour to be elected,” said professionally, mornings suited him best in summertime but he now wanted Monday evening meetings restored.

Cllr Barbara Murray too preferred morning meetings but “out of fairness” to Cllr Daly, she felt the meetings should return to Monday nights.

Cllr Michelle Hennessy preferred daytime meetings for family reasons. She said she had always, despite “two difficult years,” attended meetings in respect of the electorate and a town “that I love dearly.”  The councillor then stridently defended her status as “a homemaker and a mother” which translated into being “a doctor, a counsellor and a taxi driver, going here, there and everywhere.” She had four children, was constantly on the road and it was very difficult being a homemaker, mother and councillor. Most men, given a week looking after children would seek liberation via a shovel, a pick and the outdoors, she claimed (uncontested mind you!).

Cllr Liam Burke had “no problem” with either arrangement but had a slight preference for morning times.

Cllr Eoin Coyne said everyone had the same mandate regardless of votes accrued. He too had no problem with either time and was “willing to work with any councillor that works with me.” However he had “a very serious issue with how Cllr Daly is going about his business.” Opting to “call a spade a spade,” he fumed that Cllr Daly had been “slating the back off us week by week, whether on the radio, the internet or in newspapers! And then he expects us to support him! I’m not accepting that!” His voice raised, Cllr Coyne said he had read on www.youghalonline.com ( CLICK HERE to to read what Cllr. Donie Daly said) that Cllr Daly had “stated he was the only person with a real full time job.” The councillor then vehemently defended his colleagues and himself against any insinuation that their lives were neither filled nor industrious. His priority was to “make a difference” to his town and to attend council meetings and he was indifferent to the time they were held.

Cllr Sammy Revins, self-employed, said he also had “a real job” and was very aware too that his wife worked hard, not least at home, where there currently resided several children from the Chernobyl movement. “We all have to make sacrifices and we have often changed meeting times,” he observed. He said he preferred night meetings, as he had to hire staff to cover for him, but would accept the majority consensus. He wanted a nine-member council and didn’t think it would “be a big sacrifice for Cllr Daly to take one a day off a month.”

Cllr Sandra McLellan said she was available for both times but she’d “rather support people that aren’t stabbing me in the back.” She considered the matter “a load of petty nonsense” and said she had attended 34 meetings the previous month, at various hours, including 11 for Cork County Council. The councillor “resented being told she didn’t have a real job” She had worked at various jobs since 16 and being a councillor was “the hardest job of all.” She had a family, made sacrifices and got through it. The councillor said it was petty of someone “to go to the media complaining about ‘poor me’ instead of talking about achievements and real issues.” She concluded that she’d “had enough” and would now choose morning meetings over evenings.

Voting

Voting centred on two proposals. Firstly, Cllr Beecher, seconded by Cllr Revins, proposed that Standing Orders revert to Monday evening meetings. Secondly, Cllr Hennessy proposed that the Standing Orders remain unaltered at Tuesday mornings, 10 am.

Cllr Beecher’s proposal produced a tie at 4-4 with Cllrs Beecher, Revins, Murray and Coyne in favour and Henessy, McLellan, Linehan Foley and Burke against. The issue was decided with the mayor’s casting vote and the proposal was defeated.

Cllr Hennessy’s proposal was then carried, with support from Cllrs Hennessy, McLellan, Linehan Foley, Burke and Coyne.

Expected nothing

Cllr Daly says he “expected nothing less” from the meeting. “It is about members of the Town Council taking actions that lack foresight and also shows that if you are in the private sector and work normal hours, don’t bother running for council in Youghal.”

The outcome casts doubt on Cllr Daly’s ability to remain in situ. The 1991 Local Government Act stipulates that that local authority membership shall be terminated if a member fails to attend meetings “over a consecutive period of six months,” except due to illness or some other approved reason. He has now missed four consecutive meetings. The councillor says he will consult with his party as to his options.
Report: Christy Parker | Photographs: www.youghalonline.com